The problem
Choosing titles and tags by guesswork means good items stay hard to find. If a maker writes or rewrites 16 listings a month and each takes 15 minutes of trying search terms by hand, that's 240 minutes, 4 hours a month.
What the AI does
eRank is an Etsy research tool. Its pricing page lists keyword lookups, listing audits, traffic stats and a limited AI Listing Helper. Look up the search terms behind each item, see how competitive they are, and rewrite the title and tags so the first words describe the item as a shopper would. Run the listing audit to spot what's missing. The free plan is limited to 5 keyword lookups and 5 audits a day for one shop of up to 50 listings; Basic raises these to 100 and 50. Etsy has its own rules on listings and on AI use, and they change, so read Etsy's Creativity Standards and listing rules yourself.
A worked example
A maker of ceramic mugs in Bristol with 40 listings on Etsy rewrites or adds about 16 listings a month. She uses eRank on a Basic plan to choose search terms.
Before
About 15 minutes a listing guessing terms by hand: 16 x 15 = 240 minutes, 4 hours a month
After
About 8 minutes a listing with eRank's data: 16 x 8 = 128 minutes, 2.1 hours a month
What it's worth
About 1.9 hours a month saved (112 minutes), worth around £37 if your time is worth £20 an hour. The free plan allows 5 keyword lookups a day, which may be enough for a small shop; Basic is $5.99 (about £4) a month, or $5.50 billed annually. More sales are not counted.
How to set it up
- Create a free eRank account and connect your Etsy shop.
- Run the listing audit on your best-selling items first and note what it flags.
- For each listing, look up the search terms a shopper would use and pick those that truly describe the item.
- Rewrite the title so it starts with what the item is, and fill the tags with accurate terms.
- Check results after a few weeks and note which changes helped.
What goes wrong
- Only use terms that describe the actual item; misleading tags, or another brand's name, breach marketplace rules and mislead shoppers.
- Free eRank limits are small (5 keyword lookups and 5 audits a day); a larger shop needs a paid plan.
- Etsy has rules on AI use and on how items are described as handmade, designed or sourced. Read Etsy's own policy pages, as they change.
- Search data is an estimate and changes by season; don't rewrite every listing at once.